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dandavison/delta

A syntax-highlighting pager for git, diff, grep and blame output, configured as a drop-in replacement for git's default pager.

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What is it?

Delta is a command-line pager that formats the output of git diff, git show, git log -p, git blame and grep tools such as rg and git grep. It applies syntax highlighting using the same color themes as bat, and highlights changed words within lines using a Levenshtein-based edit inference algorithm.

It is set up by pointing git's core.pager at delta and adding a few lines to ~/.gitconfig. Layout options include side-by-side view with line wrapping, line numbers, and a navigate mode where the n and N keys jump between files or diffs. Merge conflict output and git blame are also reformatted, and commit hashes and file paths can be turned into terminal hyperlinks for GitHub, GitLab, SourceHut and Codeberg.

Delta also accepts traditional unified diff output, supports Git's --color-moved feature, and can emulate diff-highlight and diff-so-fancy styles. Light and dark terminal backgrounds are detected automatically, and more than 20 elements can be styled with git-style color strings.

Key features

  • 01Syntax highlighting with the same themes as bat
  • 02Word-level highlighting of changes within lines
  • 03Side-by-side view with automatic line wrapping
  • 04Line numbers and n/N navigation between files and diffs
  • 05Improved display for git blame, merge conflicts and grep output
  • 06Hyperlinks for commits and file paths on GitHub, GitLab, SourceHut and Codeberg

Use cases

  • Reviewing git diffs and git show output in the terminal
  • Reading git blame history with syntax-colored code
  • Viewing ripgrep or git grep results with highlighting
  • Resolving merge conflicts with a clearer layout

Quick start

  1. 1

    Install the package (named git-delta in most package managers; the executable is delta)

  2. 2

    Set delta as git's pager

    git config --global core.pager delta
  3. 3

    Use delta for interactive diff filtering

    git config --global interactive.diffFilter 'delta --color-only'
  4. 4

    Enable navigation with n and N between diff sections

    git config --global delta.navigate true

In collections

AI coding assistants & agentsCLI & terminal tools

Topics

#git#diff#pager#syntax-highlighting#terminal#cli#rust#code-review#color-themes#delta

FAQ

What is delta?
A syntax-highlighting pager for git, diff, grep and blame output, configured as a drop-in replacement for git's default pager. Delta is a command-line pager that formats the output of git diff, git show, git log -p, git blame and grep tools such as rg and git grep. It applies syntax highlighting using the same color themes as bat, and highlights changed words within lines using a Levenshtein-based edit inference algorithm.
Is delta free to use? What license does it have?
delta is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is delta still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to delta was on Oct 28, 2026.
What can I use delta for?
Reviewing git diffs and git show output in the terminal Reading git blame history with syntax-colored code Viewing ripgrep or git grep results with highlighting Resolving merge conflicts with a clearer layout
How do I install delta?
Install the package (named git-delta in most package managers; the executable is delta) Set delta as git's pager: git config --global core.pager delta Use delta for interactive diff filtering: git config --global interactive.diffFilter 'delta --color-only' Enable navigation with n and N between diff sections: git config --global delta.navigate true
Where can I get delta?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/dandavison/delta

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